To what extent are we agents of change?

This morning on our way out of Kumasi we stopped at the school in which Judy served as an instructor while in the Peace Corp in the 60s. It was fascinating walking with her through her old haunts and seeing the school as it has changed (or hasn't). Such a trend is common in Ghana, with pockets of progress or aspects but largely a preservation of the status quo. The nature and areas of these pockets of change and of preservation may serve to either promote or inhibit further development for the state overall. Only greater time will tell.

Our agenda for the day consisted of visiting three rural villages, each of which specialized in some sort of craft: bead-making, kente, adinkra (symbols printed on woven cloth). I enjoyed the explanations we received about each as well as our opportunity to buy goods in the villages; however, the bargaining became strenuous. At first, I tried to remain polite but eventually became frank and rude, ignoring and/or trying to escape from the venders. I truly mean escape. They would surround the bus, tap on the windows, reach their arms into any window opened, follow us into every doorway until stopped by someone, and grab our arms to get our attention or stop our retreat.

Throughout Ghana, we have heard much about their strong work ethic and intolerance for idleness; therefore, begging is severely frowned upon. In these villages, people would ask us for anything - money, food, transport to the US, school supplies, personal contact information, etc. I felt both sad and frustrated. I figured that these people truly were in need, but I felt helpless. For example, in the bead-making village, several children followed us around all morning, and more accumulated as we prepared to leave. All were so excited and happy that we were there. They asked us for pens and pencils, but Dr. Sall had previously collected all we brought to distribute at a school we would later visit to perform a community service project. I searched my backpack hurriedly and found two pens. When I opened the bus door, I saw a crowd of children had gathered, and immediately a struggle - almost violent - erupted over the two pens. It made me so upset to see such seemingly happy children behave this way because they do not have the means to study - and I was the catalyst for this incident. I suppose the only positive aspect of this story is the indication of their perceived value of education.

The return drive to Accra was long and uncomfortable, largely due to the bad condition of the roads with tons of potholes and speed bumps. While Kwaze is an excellent driver, he can only do so much to avoid these or lessen their blows. These road conditions - plus horrendous traffic - are not uncommon here. It truly makes you appreciate the US road system, although a more easily taxed American population does help in that regard.